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A veteran interview with

Mike Mogridge

Mike Mogridge gives a detailed and lucid account of his time on the Hook with the Royal Fusiliers [London Regiment]. He experienced combat several times during the 2nd & 3rd Battle of the Hook as well as on Hill 355.

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About Mike Mogridge

Lance Corporal Mike Mogridge, a Royal Fusilier recounts his childhood growing up during WWII. Later in life, he signed up for National Service, where he met Ronnie and Reggie Kray, bonding over their shared love of boxing.

Mike was sent to Korea with the Fusiliers, arriving in Pusan. Following a rest period, Mike and his battalion were sent to the frontline of The Battle of the Hook. This was a bloody conflict between Chinese and UN forces. During his time there, Mike remembers the bodies piling up eight feet high and the horrific smell.

Mike recalls a time when his scouting party was ambushed, and luckily, friendly mortar fire drove the Chinese back. Assumed dead, they were discovered alive by a patrol. Mike humorously remembers walking into the Sergeant’s tent and being greeted with, “Oh, I thought you were dead, fancy a cup of tea?”.

On his journey home from Korea, Mike shared a troopship with a Dorset regiment officer who, mistaking him for dead, expressed his regret. Told to turn around, the officer found Mike alive, apologising for not being dead. After National Service, Mike became SSAFA branch secretary.

Credits

Interviewed by:
Martin Bisiker
Reviewed by:
Jake Woods
Transcribed by:
Jake Woods

Transcripts:
Please note that transcripts and closed captions in the video player are automatically generated by Vimeo.

If you would like a version of the transcript that has been transcribed manually by Jake Woods, please complete this form or email info@legasee.org.uk.

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Home | Veterans | Mike Mogridge

A veteran interview with

Mike Mogridge

Mike-Mogridge.jpg

Mike Mogridge gives a detailed and lucid account of his time on the Hook with the Royal Fusiliers [London Regiment]. He experienced combat several times during the 2nd & 3rd Battle of the Hook as well as on Hill 355.

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Cite this interview:

MLA Style:
Mogridge, Mike. A Veteran Interview with Mike Mogridge. Interview by Martin Bisiker. Legasee, 8 Nov. 2017 https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/mike-mogridge/. Accessed 17 Jul. 2026.
APA Style:
Mogridge, M. (2017, November 8). A Veteran Interview with Mike Mogridge [Interview by Martin Bisiker]. Legasee. Retrieved July 17, 2026, from https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/mike-mogridge/
Chicago Style:
Mogridge, Mike. 2017. A Veteran Interview with Mike Mogridge. Interview by Martin Bisiker. Legasee, November 8. Accessed July 17, 2026. https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/mike-mogridge/
Harvard Style:
Mogridge, M. (2017). A Veteran Interview with Mike Mogridge. [Interviewed by Martin Bisiker]. Legasee, 8 November. Available at https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/mike-mogridge/ (Accessed: 17 July 2026)
Vancouver Style:
Mogridge, M. A Veteran Interview with Mike Mogridge [Internet]. Interview by M. Bisiker. Legasee; 2017 Nov 8 [cited 2026 Jul 17]. Available from: https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/mike-mogridge/
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